As the star of the New York Knicks, Carmelo Anthony owns Madison Square Garden to the tune of more than 28 points a night. Which is probably why it's okay for him to erect a boxing ring on top of the world-famous arena to spar with some of the city's top amateur boxers on his off day. We talked to Anthony yesterday between rounds helping to promote Degree Men's DO:MORE campaign about his new favorite sport and how it's helping him lead the Knicks to the playoffs.

ESQUIRE.COM: How'd you get involved in boxing?

CARMELO ANTHONY: Being born Brooklyn, I've always been a fan of boxing. It's in our blood. But as I got older, it was a matter of really digging into how hard it is and how much time and conditioning it takes for a boxer to be in top notch shape to only fight for 45 or 48 minutes. It's unbelievable.

CA: Yeah, but it's different. It's a different workout. You can't really compare the two, you just have to go through the experience to understand it.

ESQ: How does boxing help you on the basketball court?

CA: It helps my hand-eye coordination, my stamina, my footwork, and it gives me that competitive edge and drive. And in the ring it's mano-a-mano. So it helps you build that arrogance, that cockiness, that confidence in yourself that the man that stands in front of you isn't going to beat you, and that translates to the court.

ESQ: Why'd you get involved with the Do: More?

CA: It's something I've always lived by, by being more. Now with the Do: More campaign with Degree Men I'm just showing people different aspects of me. I'm a human being and I do more than just play basketball. So now I'm riding bikes and running on the track, but boxing is my main thing.

ESQ: Would you ever square off against a pro?

CA: No way. I mean, that's something that they do. I'm just doing more by doing something other than basketball, but they live that. So i'm intrigued by how hard they work and the amount of effort and time it takes to get into top notch shape.

ESQ: Who are some of the boxers you try to emulate?

CA: The heavyweights were real big when I was growing up: Holyfield, Riddick Bowe, Tyson. When Tyson lost to Douglas, it was like the world came crashing down. But as I got older and started studying the sport a lot more, Muhammad Ali became by far my favorite as a boxer and as a person. He's my idol.

ESQ: But you wouldn't go three minutes with him in his prime?

CA: Not at all. Nothing could convince to do that.

ESQ: What about some of the other NBA stars?

CA: Oh yeah, for sure. If they want to come workout with me we'd get some rounds in. It'd be fun to get some of those guys into this world.